Joanna Leśnierowska

she/her

free lance choreography curator / visual dramaturge / light & space composer / performance maker /

Graduating from theatre science at Jagiellonian University in Cracow, I used to write as one of the first regular professional dance writers for  major Polish theatre papers, “Didaskalia” magazine. and “Theatre”. I have published on Polish dance in “Theater der Zeit” (Berlin), “Dance Today” (Israel), and “Dance Zone” (Prague) and lectured on choreography history and theory in universities of Poznań and Cracow, and abroad. In 2004 I have created (and run for 17 years) the first in Poland regular dance space/choreographic development center within Art Stations Foundation in Poznań (Old Brewery New Dance) Here I was introducing regularly avant-garde choreography to local audiences and  intensively supported (with production and educational programs) development of Polish dance artists and scholars.

In years 2019 -2023 I run performance program ACZIUN at Muzeum Susch, in Engadin (CH). It was a research and choreographic reflection program offering to more than 50  artists residencies and then presenting outcomes of their processes as works in progress, lectures and site specific performances. 

From 2022 I free-lance as curator and visual dramaturge under the label LESNIEROWSKA SFX and collaborate with several international art institutions and projects. 

It is since 2003 when, parallel to my work as curator and writer, I have developed an independent practice as visual dramaturge, choreographer and light designer for my own works and works of other Polish and international artists.

In 2003-2009 I co-created Towarzystwo Gimnastyczne/Gymnastic Society (performance collective and association) within which I conceived and performed 3 full evening works: “whatever you wish” (2003) “Foreignlanguages-ness” (2005) and “NOTHING” (2007), touring them then in Poland and Europe. As an artistic partner I co-operated with several Polish and international choreographers a.o.: Arkadi Zaides/IL (“quiet”, “Landscape Research”), Lia Haraki/CY (“again”), Márta Ladjánszki/HU (“Josha”, solo for Leśnierowska), Jurij Konjar/SLO (“For Juliano MerKhamis”),  Maria Stokłosa/PL (“right hemisphere”), Weronika Pelczyńska (“Kuliści”) and long term with Janusz Orlik/PL (“Live on stage”, “Rite of Spring”, “Insight”, “Koda”),  Renata Piotrowska/PL (“Unknown.seans”/ “As long as we dance”, Uteri Migrantes”, “Danse Macabre”) and cranky bodies a/company (Berlin).

In 2011 I became a full term author with my “Reconstruction”. In 2013 I co-created a solo INSIGHT with and for Janusz Orlik. That work has been granted Best Choreography Award of Polish Dance Platform 2014 in Lublin and toured extensively in Europe, Brasil, Palestine, Israel a.o. In January 2014 I premiered trio “…(rooms by the sea). From the series Exercises in Looking” inspired by everything that hopperesque in contemporary culture. In 2016 I conceived an exchange project between Polish and Salvador (Brasil) dance communities bringing together dancers/choreographers into creative dialogue fueled by the traditional culture/dances of both countries and premiering at International Dance Festival VIVADANÇA in Salvador. The project has found its continuation in 2018 in Caucasus and finalized in the creation of “Wielogłos” (POLYPHONIES) – a choreography in dialogue of Armenian, Brazilian, Georgian and Polish artists. In 2017, the solo “blur” has been created – an evening-length work revolving around issues of instability, overdose of data and constant loss of clear points of reference. experienced widely in today’s world in micro and macro-scale. In 2019 KODA. A TRIBUTE has been premiered, conceived again in dialogue with Janusz Orlik, a show that marked the 15 years of our collaboration. The pandemic of 2020 has influenced works on “Joanna  and the Heroes” project that still continues to evolve and slips its final form. In 2022 I had been invited to create choreography for Cracow Choreographic Center and the work was created in August 2024 as revisitation and reactivation of the hoppersque choreography from 2014  (“Rooms by the sea. Exercises in Listening”). 

In my artistic practice I bring together long term interest in choreography and visual arts and explore the intersections of both. I  am  experimenting with possibilities of  transmitting and translating creative strategies and tools of new painting and (post)photography into the performance realm. Recently I craft (and also teach) my practice as visual dramaturge within which I  accompany creative processes right from a conceptual phase, and parallel develop spaces of visibility and visual identities of the projects. I weave into one practice light design and space composition with choreographing of images and  I understand, explore and practice light and space set ups as powerful dramaturgical devices. 

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